Gated parking corral

ABSTRACT

The gated parking corral is a protected parking area designed to be set up in parking lots or fields to protect a vehicle from damage. The gated corral has a fence with vertical posts and horizontal beams attached between the vertical posts to form an enclosure. At the end of the enclosure, a gate arm is pivotally connected to one of the vertical posts. A padded rail is connected between the vertical posts and protects vehicles from dings when the doors are opened. Sensors are affixed along the horizontal beams that determine the presence of a vehicle within the enclosure. Once the sensors detect a vehicle within the enclosure, the gate arm is closed. Upon payment of a certain amount of monies into a coin box connected to the gate arm, the gate arm will operate in an upward direction to allow the vehicle to exit the corral.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/727,492, filed Oct. 18, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to parking space systems, and particularlyto a gated parking corral for motor vehicles.

2. Description of the Related Art

Parking lots, outdoor arenas or other spaces are used for keepingvehicles in an ordered placement. Generally, however, these lots do notprovide much protection for the users who want to avoid dings,scratches, dents or other destruction to their automobiles. JapanesePatent Nos. 52-54,247, published May 1977; 2-68,700, published March1990; 7-272,034, published October 1995; 2001-227,187, published August2001; and 2004-30,084, published January 2004, appear to discloseautomated parking lot management and/or parking space managementinvolving stacking vehicles vertically.

Accordingly, there is a need for a gated parking corral that allowsowners to maintain their vehicles within semi-confined spaces to avoiddents or scratches to their automobiles. Additionally, there is a needfor a gated parking corral that will automatically detect the presenceof a vehicle within the enclosure of the corral and automatically fencethe vehicle within the enclosure.

None of the aforementioned patents appear to disclose or suggest eithersingly or in combination all of the features of the present invention.Thus, a gated parking corral solving the aforementioned problems isdesired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The gated parking corral is a protected parking area designed to be setup in parking lots, fields or any type of area that would have need fora secure place in which to protect a vehicle. The gated parking corralmay include one or more fenced-in areas that hold an automobile withinan enclosure.

The gated corral has a fence with vertical posts and horizontal beamsattached between the vertical posts to form an enclosure. At the end ofthe enclosure, a gate arm is pivotally connected to one of the verticalposts and serves to prevent vehicles that have entered the corral fromleaving before paying. A padded rail is connected between the verticalposts and protects vehicles from dings when the doors are opened.

Sensors are affixed along the horizontal beams, along the vertical postsor along the padded rail. Side sensors are affixed along horizontalbeams that are in parallel relationship to each other across theenclosure, and rear sensors are affixed along horizontal beams that arenormal to the side beams in parallel relationship. A loop sensor isinstalled within the ground under the enclosure in which the vehicle isto be kept. An indicating light is electrically connected to the sideand rear sensors.

A vehicle may enter the enclosure defined by the fence and as thevehicle comes within close proximity to the side sensors or the loopsensor senses the vehicle, the indicating light turns from “green” to“yellow” to indicate that a vehicle is entering. As the vehicle furtherenters the enclosure and comes within proximity to the rear sensor, therear sensor reads that the vehicle is approaching, and the light changesto “red”.

After the vehicle is fully parked within the corral, the sensors havedetected the presence of the vehicle, and the light changes to red, atimer electrically connected to the sensors is activated. The timer ispreset for a specified amount of time to allow the driver to exit thevehicle and continue out of the corral area. Once the specified time hasbeen reached following the activation of the sensors, the timer willsignal to a gate drive situated within one of the vertical posts thatthe gate arm is to be lowered. The gate drive controls operation of thegate arm. An audible alarm may additionally be connected to the timer,so that when the specified time has elapsed, the alarm sounds notice tothe vehicle owner that the gate arm will be closing.

The vertical posts to which the gate arms are attached can have a coinbox affixed to the posts that accepts coins, bills, prepaid paymentcards, or other form of payment. Once the vehicle owner wants to leavethe corral, the owner puts the requisite amount of money into a slot inthe coin box. Following receipt of the correct amount of money into thecoin box, the gate drive is activated, which causes the gate arm topivot in an upward direction to allow the vehicle to leave theenclosure.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a gated parking corralaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the gated parking corralaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the gated parking corral according to thepresent invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a gated parking corral that allows a vehicle topay for parking in a protected parking area. The gated parking corral,designated generally as 10 in the drawings, may include one or morefenced-in areas in which to keep an automobile. Walkway areas proximateto the corral 10 may be identified by a paint strip or other markingthereon. Additionally, parking boundaries may be identified by a paintstrip or other marking around the periphery of the corral 10. Moreover,a paint strip or other marking may be applied within the corral 10 toassist a driver in properly aligning the vehicle with the corral 10 toavoid parking too close to any of the sides defined by fence 12.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the gated parking corral 10 is shown having adouble enclosure. The gated parking corral 10 includes at least one saidfence 12 designed to maintain a vehicle V within the fence 12. More thanone fence 12 may be attached, allowing for multiple vehicles to beprotected by the fence 12, but defining individual gated enclosures foreach vehicle V. Each fence 12 defines a vehicle-receiving enclosure 14in which the vehicles may park. The vehicle-receiving enclosure 14 ispreferably approximately twenty feet long. The fences 12 can beconfigured to create a vehicle-receiving enclosure 14 that allows forangled or straight-in parking. Additionally, a variety of configurationsare contemplated by the present invention in order to provide end-to endvehicle-receiving enclosures 14 as well as side-by-sidevehicle-receiving enclosures 14. Each fence 12 includes a plurality ofvertical posts 16 and horizontal beams 18 attached to each other. A gatearm 20 is pivotally connected to one of the vertical posts 16. Aplurality of sensors 22 are affixed along the horizontal beams 18 andare designed to detect the presence of a vehicle V entering theenclosure 14.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a detailed perspective view of one of thefence sections 12 of the gated parking corral 10 and a block diagram ofthe electronics of the parking corral 10 are shown, respectively. Thefence 12 has a plurality of vertical posts 16 and a plurality ofhorizontal beams 18 that make up the structure of the fence 12. Thevertical posts 16 are mounted to a ground surface and extend upward fromthe ground surface. The horizontal beams 18 are coupled between thevertical posts 16. At least two horizontal beams 18 a are attachedbetween at least two vertical posts 16 in parallel relationship. Onehorizontal beam 18 b is attached between two vertical posts 16 in normalrelationship to horizontal beams 18 a. The vertical 16 and horizontal 18posts generally form a rectangular fence 12 defining an enclosure 14.Horizontal beams are omitted between two vertical posts in order toallow space for the vehicle V to enter the enclosure 14. A gate arm 20is affixed to one of the vertical posts 16 and may pivot in an upward ordownward direction. The vertical posts 16 and horizontal beams 18 may beaffixed to one another with hinges, pins, inserted fittings or any othermeans for uniting the vertical 16 and horizontal 18 posts together. Abase of the corral may be comprised of a plurality of flat, preferably3-inch plates 19 that can be attached to the ground or pavement viafasteners, such as lag bolts 17. The plates 19 provide a stablefoundation upon which the vertical posts 16 are attached.

A plurality of fence sensors 22 is disposed along the fence 12. Sidesensors 22 a are attached to the side beams 18 a that are in parallelrelationship to each other across the enclosure 14. A rear sensor 22 bis affixed to the horizontal beam 18 b that is normal to the side beams18 a. The side 22 a and rear 22 b sensors are connected in series. Aloop sensor 24 is installed within the ground under the enclosure 14 inwhich each vehicle V is to be kept and is electrically connected to thefence sensors 22. The loop sensor 24 detects the presence of aconductive material, such as aluminum or steel, which allows for adetermination as to whether or not a vehicle V is present. The fencesensors 22 may be sonar, laser, magnetic, light, reflective,pressure-sensitive, pneumatic, LED, infrared, or any other type ofsensor or detection device capable of detecting the presence of avehicle V within the enclosure 14.

A padded rail 26 is attached between the vertical posts 16 and disposedin parallel relationship to the horizontal beams 18 connected betweenthe vertical posts 16. The padded rail 26 may be made from plastic,rubber, concrete or any other type of material that will act as a bumperor barrier for the vehicle V. A speed bump or similar barrier (notshown) may be attached to the parking space within the area defined bythe enclosure 14 to provide a barrier for the front tires of the vehicleV to rest against in order to keep the vehicle V from continuingforward.

A light 30 is electrically connected to the sensors 22 and 24. The light30 may be any type of indicator, but is preferably a three-colorstoplight that is able to indicate go, caution and stop. When thevehicle V enters one of the enclosures 14 of the gated corral 10, theside fence sensors 22 a are activated as the vehicle V enters and comeswithin close proximity to the side sensors 22 a. As one of the sidesensors 22 a or the loop sensor 24 is activated, the light 30 changesfrom the initial “go” indication (generally the color green) to the“caution” indication (generally the color yellow). As the vehicle Vmoves farther into the enclosure 14, approaching the rear horizontalbeam 18 b, the rear sensor 22 b reads that the vehicle V is approaching.When all of the sensors 22 a, 22 b and 24 have detected the presence ofan automobile within the enclosure 14, the indicating light 30 indicates“stop” (generally by turning red). The light 30 notifies the vehicledriver that the automobile is correctly situated within the corral 10.

A battery 40 or other power source is connected to the sensors 22 and 24and the light indicator 30 in order to provide electrical current tooperate the sensors 22 and 24 and the light 30. A charger (not shown)may be included to charge the battery 40 from an external power source.A solar panel 50 may optionally be connected to the battery 40 to supplypower, i.e., charging current to the battery 40.

After the vehicle V is fully parked within the corral 10 and the sensors22 and 24 have detected the presence of the vehicle, a timer 60 isactivated. The timer 60 electrically communicates with the sensors 22and 24 in order to determine that all of the sensors 22 and 24 havedetected the automobile. The timer 60 may be preset for a specifiedamount of time to allow the driver to exit the vehicle V and continueout of the corral area 10. Once the specified time has been reachedfollowing the activation of the sensors 22 and 24, the timer 60 willsignal to a gate drive 70 situated within one of the vertical posts 16that the gate arm 20 is to be lowered. The gate drive 70 controlsoperation of the gate arm 20. An audible alarm may also be connected tothe timer 60, so that when the specified time has elapsed, the alarmsounds notice to the vehicle owner that the gate arm 20 will be closing.If the driver chooses to exit the gated corral I 0 before the specifiedtime period has elapsed, the sensors 22 and 24 will be deactivated andthe gate arm 20 will remain in an upward position. The gate arm 20 maybe constructed from any of a number of materials, including fiberglass,plastic, wood, aluminum, etc.

The gate drive 70 may be a chain drive, gear drive, screw drive orhydraulic cylinder, and may be operated using AC or DC voltage. The gatedrive 70 may be solid state or mechanical limit switches, relays orcontacts. A full service controller having the capability of being inoperable communication with, to control and accept inputs from, a remoteentry device, such as a telephone. The controller is also in operablecommunication with, controls, and accept inputs from loop detectors,sensors, card readers, push buttons, alternative remote control devices,bar code scanners, money acceptors, gate drives, and the like. Controlfunctions of the controller may be located in or distributed among anyof the sensors 22 a, 22 b, 24, timer 60, indicator 30, gate drive 70,and the like.

The position of the gate arm 20 is adjustable, or may be pre-positioned,and is limited by magnetic or proximity sensors, and may also bedesigned with a pressure-sensitive switch. If the vehicle V is not fullyin the corral, or if there is any obstruction in the path of the gatearm 20, the magnetic or proximity sensors, or pressure-sensitive switchcan detect the obstruction to keep or return the gate arm 20 to the openposition. The gate arm 20 is preferably approximately nine feet long,while the corral 10 is preferably approximately thirteen feet wide,thereby allowing approximately four feet for a person or persons to exitor enter the corral 10 with shopping carts, strollers and the like, evenwhen the gate arm 20 is in a closed position. The gate arm 20 may beattached with a breakaway device. Optionally, the gate arm 20 can becolor-striped and/or outfitted with a flashing light (not shown) at theend of the gate arm 20 that is activated when the gate arm 20 is in theup or open position to alert customers of availability of the corral 10.Preferably, the gate arm 20 is covered with a non-scratch type surfaceor paint.

The side 22 a, rear 22 b and loop sensors 24, indicating light 30, powersupply 40, timer 60 and gate drive 70 are electrically connected to theeach other and may be connected to the solar panel 50. The wiring toelectrically connect the gated vehicle corral 10 may be built into aconduit in the padded rail 26, built along the ground or built into thehorizontal beams 18. Preferably, the wiring is comprised of at least onewiring harness having connectors that can be removably attached tofacilitate construction and dismantling of the corral 10.

The vertical posts 16 to which the gate arms 20 are attached have a coinbox 72 affixed to the posts 16. The coin box 72 accepts coins, bills,prepaid parking cards, or other form of payment. When the vehicle ownerwants to leave the corral 10, the owner puts the requisite amount ofmoney into a slot 74 in the coin box 72. The coin box 72 is configuredto only accept money when the gate arm 20 is in the down or closedposition. Following the receipt of the correct amount of money in thecoin box 72, the gate drive 70 is activated, which causes the gate arm20 to pivot in an upward direction. The coin box 72 may accept cash,credit cards, bar codes connected to monetary units, debit cards,tokens, tickets or any other form of monetary means.

A key access hole 74 may be built into the vertical posts 16 to whichthe gate arms 20 are attached. The key access hole 74 will allow anemployee to override the gate drive 70 to manually manipulate the gatearm 20 in an upward or downward direction.

The gate arm 20 of the gated vehicle corral 10 may be activated byremote control, and, optionally, solely by remote control. A batterybackup may be built into either the vertical 16 or the horizontal 18posts. In the event of AC mains power failure, the backup battery powerhas the capability to provide power to put the gate arm 20 in an openposition. Preferably, the corral 10 can be located close to buildingentrances for security reasons, inclement weather, and to assist thephysically impaired.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A gated parking corral, comprising: a fence having a plurality ofvertical posts and a plurality of horizontal beams coupled between thevertical posts, the vertical posts and horizontal beams defining avehicle-receiving enclosure; a gate arm pivotally connected to at leastone of the vertical posts, the gate arm being pivotal in an upward and adownward direction; a plurality of sensors disposed along the fence, thesensors being designed to detect the presence of a vehicle in theenclosure; and means for operating the gate arm, said means foroperating the gate arm being electrically connected to the sensors;wherein upon detection of the presence of a vehicle in the enclosure bythe sensors, the gate arm is pivoted in the downward direction,confining the vehicle within the enclosure.
 2. The gated parking corralaccording to claim 1, further comprising padding material affixed alongthe fence.
 3. The gated parking corral according to claim 1, furthercomprising a base, said vertical posts being attached to the base. 4.The gated parking corral according to claim 3, wherein the basecomprises a plurality of flat 3-inch plates attachable to a supportsurface.
 5. The gated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein thevehicle-receiving enclosure is approximately twenty feet long.
 6. Thegated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure isapproximately thirteen feet wide.
 7. The gated parking corral accordingto claim 1, wherein the gate arm is approximately nine feet long.
 8. Thegated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein the fences areconfigured for angled parking.
 9. The gated parking corral according toclaim 1, wherein the fences are configured for straight-in parking. 10.The gated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein said fencesdefine multiple vehicle-receiving enclosures configured end-to-end. 11.The gated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein said fencesdefine multiple vehicle-receiving enclosures configured side-by-side.12. The gated parking corral according to claim 1, wherein the sensorsare affixed along the horizontal beams.
 13. The gated parking corralaccording to claim 12, wherein side sensors are affixed along sidehorizontal beams and rear sensors are affixed along a horizontal beam ina normal relationship to the side horizontal beams.
 14. The gatedparking corral according to claim 13, wherein the side and rear sensorsare connected in series.
 15. The gated parking corral according to claim1, further comprising: a loop sensor disposed within the ground underthe enclosure; the loop sensor being electrically connected to the fencesensors, the loop sensor having the capability to detect whether avehicle is present.
 16. The gated parking corral according to claim 1,further comprising: a padded rail attached between the vertical postsand disposed in parallel relationship to the horizontal beams connectedbetween the vertical posts.
 17. The gated parking corral according toclaim 1, further comprising: a parking status indicator light having thecapability to indicate go, caution and stop in sequence as a vehicleapproaches the vehicle-receiving enclosure, is partially inside theenclosure, and is completely inside the enclosure, respectively.
 18. Thegated parking corral according to claim 1, further comprising: anelectrical power source connected to the sensors and the means foroperating the gate arm; and a solar panel connected to the power sourcefor charging the electrical power source.
 19. The gated parking corralaccording to claim 1, further comprising a timer programmable to delayclosure of the gate arm for a predetermined time period after a vehiclehas entered the vehicle-receiving enclosure.
 20. The gated parkingcorral according to claim 1, further comprising a payment box attachedto said fence, the payment box having means for receiving payment inmultiple forms, the payment box being configured to only accept paymentwhen the gate arm is in a closed position, the payment box having meansfor signaling the gate arm to open once a required payment amount isreceived by the payment box.